Star Trek: Unintended Consequences
by Bundo413
Summary: Set several months after Nemesis, the Enterprise is sent out to solve a centuries old mystery.Meanwhile, the Borg, reduced to a single Queen with a single Cube, have discovered a race of beings who are the epitome of perfection... the Cylons. PLEASE REVIE
1. Preface

Star Trek: Unintended Consequences

Hello readers. For those familiar with my previous story, "Humanity Lost", this story should be pretty familiar. Well, after hitting a wall in that story, I decided to re-work it from the ground up. The characters are still the same, but the story will take several different twists and turns to get everybody where I want them. I'm trying to eliminate the technobabble and the different/alternate time periods/universes and just tell a good story. Please read and review and tell me if you like the new direction. Or tell me if you hate it and wish I would drop off the face of the Earth. If you're going to do that though, at least leave me some constructive criticism to go by. Just trying to entertain here.

-Ray Bundy


	2. Chapter 1

The Cylons were created by humans…

_They Rebelled…_

_They Evolved…_

_Some are programmed to think they are human…_

_And they have a plan…_

_***  
_

"_The time is 0530 hours_."

Commander Martin Madden stirred before waking, images from his dream still clinging to the edge of his consciousness. He got out of his bed and walked the few feet to his bathroom. Yawning, he tapped the keypad next to the faucet and watched as cold water began to slowly fill the basin. After a moment, he deactivated the stream, and plunged his hands into the water. Flinching slightly at the sudden sensation of cold, he cupped his hands and brought the clear liquid splashing onto his face. The shock from the action did its duty, and he found himself no longer able to remember the nightmare from the previous night.

Madden paused a moment to look at his reflection in the mirror. Staring back at him was a man in his late thirties, with a slightly graying hairline that most of his friends and colleagues said added character. Wrinkles were beginning to form around his eyes and mouth. _Just like my father_, he thought, _I'm growing old before my time_.

The commander continued through his morning routine, a brief trip through the sonic shower, donning a fresh uniform, and trying to comb his unruly mop of hair into some semblance of order. Taking one last look in the mirror, he decided that this was the best things were going to get and finally said, "Time to start another day aboard the _Enterprise_."

Arriving on the bridge, Commander Madden took in the sights and sounds of the first shift bridge crew hard at work. Some were arriving from other turbolifts to relieve the previous duty shift, and Madden basked in how official and professional everyone was being. Currently, the _Enterprise_ was patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone, which was quickly becoming the hot zone of the decade. In 2379, a Reman named Shinzon had used a thalaron radiation device to liquidate the Romulan Senate and its Praetor, later stepping into that coveted seat himself. The _Enterprise_ was ordered to Romulus to find out what had happened and discovered that Shinzon was not a Reman at all but was in fact a clone of Captain Picard. A terrible battle ensued between the _Enterprise_ and Shinzon's supreme battleship _Scimitar_, finally ending when the android Commander Data destroyed the thalaron intermix generator aboard the _Scimitar_, destroying the ship and himself in the process.

Commander Madden traveled to the first officer's station as he recollected more recent events. Following Shinzon's death, a senator named Tal'Aura had risen to power. She had been a member of Shinzon's new order, and many were furious that she had elevated herself to that position. She faced contention from the Romulan military, the newly freed Reman slaves and the Tal'Shiar, the Romulan secret police. While _Enterprise_ was undergoing extensive repairs and overhauls the starship _Titan_ was dispatched to mediate some kind of peace between the factions and so far an uneasy truce was all that was keeping the factions from ripping out each other's throats.

"Captain on the bridge!" a lieutenant at the tactical station called out, interrupting Madden's thoughts. Captain Picard was exiting the port turbolift and heading for his centrally located command chair. "As you were," he said softly, his eyed fixed to the PADD he was carrying. He paused as he reached his command chair but did not sit down. Madden looked up at him and said, "Good morni-"

"Commander, may I see you in my ready room?" Picard said tersely, cutting him off. Without waiting for a reply, Picard turned away from Madden and walked into his small office just off the bridge. Madden was befuddled for a moment but managed to shake it off, rise, and walk towards and through the doors.

"Tea, Earl Grey, Hot," Picard was saying into the wall-mounted food replicator as Madden entered. "Would you care for anything commander?" he asked retrieving his beverage.

"No thank you, sir." He watched as Picard took a sip of the steaming brew and headed to the chair behind his desk.

"Commander, are you familiar with the Gods Favor religious movement?" At first, commander had no idea what he was talking about, but shortly his Academy history classes began to re-assert themselves

"Oh, of course. They were religious extremists from Earth's 22nd century who thought that humanity was losing touch with its spirituality." Madden was surprised he remembered that particular chapter in Starfleet history.

"They were thought of as little more than terrorists or petty thugs," Picard said. "Eventually, Starfleet found the leaders of the movement but were unable to apprehend them. The extremists commandeered the starship _Alvarez NX-07_ and killed the crew before disappearing into deep space. At the time, tensions with the Romulans were coming to a head and Starfleet was unable to send a search team." Picard took that moment to slide the PADD to Madden. The commander slowly picked it up and studied the display.

From what he new of 22nd century warp ship design, the image depicted on the small screen appeared to depict a starship's warp nacelle, though it was battered and ruptured in many places along its length. Its forward mounted bussard collector was almost completely broken out, and some of the ruptures were so severe as to render the nacelle all but unidentifiable to the untrained eye. Madden glanced up.

"This is from the _Alvarez_?" he asked. Picard nodded.

"It was discovered by the USS _Harris_ on the fringe of Federation charted territory. It was immediately towed back to Starfleet Command for analysis, and they have confirmed that it's from the _Alvarez_. The _Enterprise_ has been instructed to proceed at maximum warp to system CN-16 and launch an investigation." Commander Madden's eyes brightened at the news. He had grown weary playing babysitter on the edge of Romulan Space, and now he would be doing what he had longed to do since he first joined Starfleet; explore uncharted space, and maybe solve a two hundred year-old interstellar mystery along the way.

"Commander, re-acquaint yourself with the history of this ship and of the God's Favor extremists. Tell the department heads to do the same. Will schedule a general briefing for 0100 hours."

"Yes, sir. Shall I order the ship to get underway in the meantime?" He noticed Picard's chuckle at his executive officer's unbridled enthusiasm.

"I think that would be for the best, Commander." Madden smiled slightly before Picard said "Dismissed."

***

Time Index 000.6732

_Spatial Grid 093_

_Cube 65534-99821_

"_Unidentified vessel detected…engaging assimilation protocols."_

The Borg Cube hurtled through space, closing on its target. The massive star-shaped vessel that was its quarry turned one of its pointed spires toward its aggressor and began to empty its missile payload at its attacker. The inferior artillery all but bounced off of the hardened and armored exterior of the Cube ship. In return, the Cube let loose with its vast arsenal of holding and cutting beams. With the precision of a master surgeon, pieces of the vessel were carved off and transported deep into the Cube's interior.

As a last attempt at a defense, the star-shaped vessel launched a bevy of assault raiders at the Cube. As the raiders began streaming angrily at the Cube, sections of hull plating opened all across the surface of the cube. From these new openings emerged large rotary gun turrets, and each turret selected a target and let loose with ferocious blasts of plasma energy.

From the safety of her heavily armored and shielded chamber at the center of the Cube, the Borg Queen observed the battle. She studied this new species, the way they fought, the armaments they employed, and, perhaps most importantly, the mechanical way they seemed to be fighting. They launched raider after raider at her Cube, never adapting their fighting style. From this, the Queen ascertained that this species had experience in fighting very few other species, perhaps only one other species.

Seeing that nothing further was to be gained from this, she ordered the destruction of the remains of the enemy ship. Thinking quickly, she instructed her cube to bring several of the attacking craft aboard for assimilation. The Cube responded in kind, latching their emerald green tractor beams onto each remaining ship. A majority of the raiders didn't survive the shearing forces and exploded almost instantly, but the Queen was satisfied when she was informed that three of the raiders had been secured.

_Informed_, she seethed. Not long ago, a first contact assimilation of this nature would have occurred almost instantly. Now, because of the troublesome Janeway, the Borg's last Queen was here, giving verbal orders to confused drones on this damaged Cube. She felt stripped, bare, and for the first time in her existence vulnerable.

Still, the Queen felt anxious waiting for the assimilation process to begin, ready to receive the individuals into her ragtag collective. She waited for a few moments…and felt nothing. Angry, she moved to see a monitor displaying a recording of the hangar bays on the cube where the raiders were being stored. She was able to see a close up of the ships and saw her drones looking for an access port. The Queen switched to another angle and saw a drone depress a large gelatinous-looking button on the underside of the craft. An access port opened and a gush of viscous liquid drizzled onto the deck of the hangar bay.

The drone that had found the button was studying the vessel's interior so the Queen switched her viewpoint to his. What she beheld intrigued her. The vessel contained no life form. Instead, a large, quivering brain was suspended inside. The Queen looked at the image in awe. This race had discovered the perfect marriage of technology and biology. Without another moments hesitation, the Borg Queen issued a new directive.

Find more of this species, and assimilate.

***

Captains Log: Stardate 56324.9

Commander Madden surveyed the information on the PADD for the hundredth time as he took a final swig of coffee. The now cold beverage made Madden cringe, and he stood up from his table in _Enterprise's_ forward Mess, walked over to the replicator, discarded his old cup and requested another. The computer responded almost instantaneously, and Martin hefted the cup of steaming brew and returned to his seat.

_Enterprise_ had been in the CN-16 system for a few hours now. Long enough for Madden to collect the final data necessary for his briefing in four hours. It was his job to outline search and exploration patterns for the crew to implement, and he wanted to make sure that resources were used efficiently. After a final analysis, Martin began compiling his briefing.

"What are you working on?" came a voice from across the table. Martin jerked back, startled. He hadn't noticed anyone else sit down. He looked up at his unexpected visitor.

The first thing he noticed about the woman standing before him was her beauty. White blond hair, piercing eyes, milky white skin, and...there was something oddly familiar about her. He knew she wasn't a crew member, and since the _Enterprise_ wasn't carrying civilians at the moment his hand should have been flying to his comm-badge to call security. There was something about this woman though that stayed his hand.

"Who are you?" he managed to ask after a moment. The woman simply smiled.

"Who do you want me to be?" she teased. As she spoke, something began to sound off in Madden's head. It was a faint buzzing, accompanied by...music? What was going on. He held a hand to his head, trying but failing to turn off the music. The woman just continued to smile, though now the expression was tinged with a slight sadness. Suddenly, his vision grew fuzzy, and he found it difficult to breathe.

From behind the bar, Guinan observed the exchange. Nobody else in the room had taken notice of the stunning blond woman who had appeared out of nowhere, so Guinan just watched as a few words were exchanged, then Commander Madden's breathing became forced and irregular. That's when the other patrons started to take notice. Guinan called for a medical team and rushed over to the _Enterprise's_ XO, just as he toppled sideways out of his chair and collapsed to the deck. The blond woman made no move, though she did look right at Guinan, and smiling said, "he'll be alright." Then, as if Guinan had blinked, the woman disappeared.


	3. Chapter 2

Something about this place was familiar.

Martin couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew he had been here, in this...moment...before. The signs screamed out to him. A smell here, a sound there, but they never coalesced into a single, recognizable memory.

"Hello," said a voice. Martin turned towards the sound and was met by a vision of extreme beauty. Tall, blond, smiling sweetly, and, as with everything else in this place, a vague sense of familiarity about her. Suddenly, a bright flash of light flooded Martin's senses. He held up his hands in a vain effort to shield himself from the overload, but it was as if it had occurred in his mind. His senses overloaded, and he opened his mouth as if to scream...but a moment later, the sensation ended. The light began to fade, dimming to a more reasonable level and allowing Martin to drop his arms.

He was standing at the foot of a grand theatrical stage. Five columns of light erupted upward to the top of the proscenium. He could almost make out a robed figure at the base of each pillar of light, but before being able to investigate further a hand grabbed his arm and spun him away from the brilliance. He found himself facing the woman again.

"Don't worry, they are none of your concern," the woman smiled to cover up her warning tone. Madden decided that it would be better if he didn't cross this person, even though she was just a figment of his imagination. The woman chuckled playfully. "I'm not just in your head, Martin," she said, sensing the conclusions he was jumping to, "this is all quite real. And soon, it will be more real than you can possibly conceive of."

"He is not ready!" rasped a voice behind him. Madden turned, despite the woman's words, and faced this new arrival. Well, it wasn't actually "new" so to speak, as one of the robed figures in the pillars of light had stepped towards him, removing his hood and revealing his face. He was an older man, balding from what Martin could tell. His face was weathered, and Martin knew that this man was also someone not to be trifled with. He wore an eye patch over his right eye, and the other one looked judgmentally upon him. He was about to respond when the blinding build-up if light returned with a vengeance, robbing Martin of his senses.

***

"He's coming to!"

"Give me that hypospray, we have to work fast!"

"I don't like the looks of those vitals..."

The familiar setting of the Opera House (somehow, he knew where he had just been was an Opera House) vanished, replaced by cold steel, polymers, and...people? Madden felt plunged into an abyss of uncertainty. What had happened? Where was he? Why did he feel so-

Madden bolted upright, surprising the quartet of doctors and nurses surrounding him. He was on the _Enterprise_, but why couldn't he-

A dull ache in his chest escalated into a full-blown throbbing pain. He clutched at it, wanting to rip open his flesh and dig out everything that hurt. Finally, it became to unbearable and he collapsed backward. He glanced around, his eyes settling on Dr. Beverly Crusher.

"There's something...beautiful...between life and death," he wheezed. Then, his eyes closed amidst the chorus of medical jargon being hurled back and forth. His last conscious thought was of the blond woman from his dreams, and if he would ever see her again.

***

Captain Jean-Luc Picard had heard the emergency call from Dr. Crusher, telling him that Commander Madden was in emergency surgery, but he was forced to cut the call short when three contacts had entered sensor range and were apparently spoiling for a fight.

"Have we determined who they are, what they want?" He asked Worf, his tactical officer.

"The vessels match no known configurations," responded the Klingon officer, clearly irritated with his inability to provide his commanding officer with more information. That was literally all the _Enterprise_ sensors were able to determine.

"Are they within visual range?" queried Picard. Worf nodded, and the captain ordered the main viewscreen activated. As the holographic facade dissolved away, heads throughout the bridge turned to view these never before seen interlopers. Upon cursory examination, more than a few jaws dropped. The viewer displayed three ships, two of them constructed of two alternating arrow-shaped pieces attached to each other at a central point. The third vessel however was simply bizarre. Dozens of spider-like shapes attached at procedural intervals to a central core housing. Picard thought it resembled a giant centipede if a dorsal set of legs had been added. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered him, but this particular centipede was several times larger and heading right for them.

"Arm phasers, load quantum torpedoes, shields to full. All hands, this is the captain. Battlestations." The explorer in Picard regretted having to give that order, but due to the Federation's recent losses to the Dominion and the renewed Borg threat, Starfleet had clandestinely adopted a "shoot first" policy, questions later being optional. If an unidentified ship shows up out of nowhere and makes a run at you, no communication, no warning, a Starfleet captain was to put the lives of his crew above all other potential first-contact concerns.

"Captain!" Shouted Worf, "multiple contacts. The vessels are deploying auxiliary craft. Sensors reading multiple new contacts!" Picard really didn't need the report. He could see the dozens, maybe hundreds, of smaller ships emerging from the hulls of all three ships. At that moment, he was able to make a much safer guess as to the intentions of the mysterious aggressors.

"Mr. Worf, fire at will."

***

_Weightlessness_

Madden had never felt a sensation like this before, not even during his Zero-G training during his Academy days. This...this was different. There was also a warmth, accompanied by a dampness that Madden couldn't equate with any other sensation he had heretofore experienced. He felt..._safe_. For the first time in years, hell, decades, he felt as though he were untouchable. He _knew_ that nothing bad could reach him in here.

"There will be pain, but breathe through it."

The voice was familiar. He knew he had been feeling that way about a lot of things lately, but there was no other word to tack on to his experiences as of late. A sharp stab of pain told him that this familiar voice also seemed to know what it was talking about. He did as he was told and inhaled deeply, the air filling his lungs telling him that he was no longer aboard _Enterprise_. The taste didn't have the telltale staleness of recycled air.

"Good, you're doing fine. Everything will be alright soon, brother. A new day has dawned for you." Madden managed to smile through the pain. This voice was the most reassuring he had ever heard, and it filled him with a sense of tranquility. For a moment, the pain ceased to exist. It was just him...and the voice. Wanting to test his other senses, Madden opened his eyes.

What he beheld would have sent him panicking at any other time in his life, but now barely fazed him. He saw that he was, indeed, floating in a large tub of some sort of fluidic compound. He was in a dimly lit room, alien but familiar at the same time. And someone was with him.

"Hello, brother," said the striking blond woman leaning over him, grasping his hand. Madden looked deep into her eyes, tears welling in his own.

"For a time, I thought you weren't real," he said, and the blond woman smiled warmly. She reached up and stroked his forehead tenderly.

"For a time, I thought you weren't real, either. But now you're here, and you will help lead the Cylons to a glorious new age." Her smile intensified. She was practically bursting with emotion, and Madden could only look upon her. Something clicked in his mind. The lies, the deceit of his other life ceased to exist in that moment. He remembered now. He remembered everything.

"By your command," he whispered to her.

***

"All hands, brace for impact!" Picard shouted. A split second later, a devastating impact rocked the ship, sending sparks shooting from most of the bridge consoles. He hadn't expected his adversary to employ kamikaze tactics, but apparently he had underestimated them. Three of the small attack ships had just plowed into the primary hull of the _Enterprise_, causing near catastrophic damage. Emergency forcefields were in place, but with the warp core so badly damaged, Picard had no idea how long they would hold.

"Captain," shouted Worf, "fourteen more ships on intercept, targeting the bridge. Warp drive offline!" Picard could only watch as the viewscreen told the tale of their demise. The ships were heading straight for them, and the phasers would only be able to take out ten of them before they struck the bridge.

"All hands, evacuate the bridge. Re-convene on the battle bridge. Transfer all console functions to-

"Captain!" Worf interrupted his superior, and directed Picard's attention to the viewscreen. The ships were no longer advancing. In fact, it appeared as though they were retreating towards their carriers. Picard watched as they seamlessly re-integrated themselves within the bodies of the larger vessels, and then as the carriers and the giant centipede disappeared in great flashes of light. "They're gone. Sensors show no sign of enemy vessels. Picard decided not to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.

"Helm, get us out if here. Maximum speed!" The conn officer did as instructed and a moment later the ship began limping away at impulse speeds. "Mr. Worf, any sign of pursuit?"

"None, sir," Worf responded. He then entered a command into the control pad on the arm of his chair, opening an intra-ship comm channel. "Medical teams to the bridge," he commanded, "repair teams to engineering." To Picard he added, "I imagine Geordi will need quite some time to bring warp drive back online. In the meantime, we should check on Commander Madden's condition." Picard nodded his agreement and turned to the Sarah Chalmers, the Ops officer, and said "you have the bridge lieutenant Chalmers. Stand down to yellow alert, commander Worf and I will be in sickbay."


	4. Chapter 3

The atmosphere in sickbay was muted. It wasn't everyday that a ship lost its first officer, or someone as young as Commander Madden. Dr. Crusher, Captain Picard, and the now XO Commander Worf sat in Crusher's office, discussing the incident.

"What happened, Dr.?" Picard queried, both solemnly and wearily. Between the near-crippling attack and Madden's sudden and unexpected death, Picard and crew were nearing their limit. Crusher looked even worse, the dark circles under her eyes betraying her fatigue through the brave front she was displaying to her commanding officer.

"Guinan called us down to the lounge, told us that Madden had collapsed," Crusher began, " When we arrived, I determined that he was suffering a massive cardiac episode and we initiated emergency transport. Upon arriving here, he became unconscious as we attempted to determine the cause of the problems. A few seconds later, his vitals started dropping." Crusher brought her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes before continuing, "He-he bolted upright, and said that there was something beautiful between life...and death. Then, he simply...passed away. All attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful." Worf latched on to Crusher's last sentence.

"What? What did he mean by 'something beautiful'?" he asked, but Crusher merely shook her head. "I have no idea, and no way of determining it."

"Guinan to Picard," the comm system interrupted the somber moment in the office. Puzzled, Picard tapped the comm badge on his uniform tunic. "Go ahead Guinan."

"Captain...Jean-Luc, I need to see you in my quarters. It's...it's about Commander Madden." Picard rose slowly from his chair, adjusting his uniform as he did. "I'll be there shortly. Picard out." The three friends looked at each other quizzically, apparently having also sensed the heavy desperation in Guinan's summons. "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Picard simply shook his head, a faraway look on his face.

"There's too much confusion here," he intoned, "and it's time we got to the bottom of it." With that, he turned and walked out of the office.

***

The stars looked somehow...different to Guinan. The tiny pinpoints of light hurtled past the _Enterprise_ at warp speed, just as they had done countless times before, but now something was off. Guinan had seated herself on an overly large throw pillow beneath the window that dominated the port wall of her quarters. When Picard had asked her to come aboard the _Enterprise_ following the battle with Shinzon, she had specifically chosen these quarters. The room was in close proximity to the forward lounge for one, but the most important reason for her selection had to do with the amazing view that the window provided. She had found herself many a time in her off-hours just sitting on this large pillow and gazing out into the void. It calmed her.

Now though, things seemed altered. Though in her mind she knew that this was the same vista she had beheld in the past, her heart told her that it wasn't, that something very fundamental about it had changed drastically. She couldn't put her finger on what, though. Sighing to herself, she rose from her seat and walked wearily over to the food replicator situated on the opposite wall, adjacent to the door to her quarters. As she was about to order something, her door chime sounded. Picard had arrived.

"Come in, Jean-Luc," she said. A second later the doors parted with a familiar hiss, allowing Captain Picard to enter the room of his oldest friend. "I was just about to get a drink," she said, smiling weakly at him, "would you like something?"

"No, thank you," Picard responded. Guinan started to speak into the replicator, but paused. She moved away from the replicator and toward a small liquor cabinet near the portal leading to her bedroom. Smiling to herself, she removed a medium-sized bottle and two small glasses. Still smiling, she turned to face Picard, who was now as enraptured with the view beyond her window as she had been moments before.

"How about now," she asked coyly, holding the bottle out for Jean-Luc to see. He stepped closer to examine the proffered beverage.

"Aldebaran whiskey," he said, mirthlessly returning her smile, "well, if that's what you're offering, I could certainly use a drink after today." Guinan's smile disappeared, and she lowered her head in reverence of Picard's fallen comrade. A moment later, she set the glasses on a small table, removed the stopper from the bottle and poured their drinks. She gave one of the glasses to Picard and gestured for him to sit on a small sofa near the window. She in turn retired to the over-sized throw pillow, opposite Picard. There would be no toast, not that Commander Madden didn't deserve one. Now just wasn't the time. Guinan decided to tell Picard the reason for her summons.

"I was tending bar in the lounge when it happened. One minute he was fine, the next he had fallen to the floor, gasping for air. I rushed over...and saw-" she trailed off, her gaze drifting towards the window. Picard stared at her, concern showing visibly on his face. After taking a few seconds to recover, she began speaking again.

"There was someone there, someone I had never seen before. She was there...then she wasn't...I- I don't know quite how to explain it, but there was something about her. She's dangerous, Jean-Luc, and she has a plan." At this, Picard stood.

"Who is she, Guinan?" he asked, a dark look of apprehension glazing his features. What she said next made Picard's stomach lurch.

"The one we've been waiting for. The one who will deliver humanity from the gravest threat it's ever faced...itself."

***

_"And the one, separate from the twelve, will rejoin his people, ready to begin life anew in the arms of the seven. The ones more machine than flesh will be torn asunder and a new age will dawn for the thirteenth...until the awakening of the five...the five...the five...the five...the five..._

_...End of Line..._

Martin had been sitting, listening to the Hybrid for...hell, he didn't even know how long he had been down here. He let her words wash over him, seeping into his being, flooding his consciousness, trying to grasp the deeper meaning behind every phrase, every syllable. Leoban was right, everything the Hybrid said had a deeper meaning. He knew that the other models didn't share in the Leoban's mysticism towards the greater universe, but he found it hard not to recognize patterns in the words the hybrid spoke.

It had been silent for a while now, after acknowledging Martin's presence with its "and the one..." line. Applying what he had learned in his time with the humans to the Hybrid's vocalizations, Martin had determined that the "ones of like mind, more machine than flesh" had to be the Borg, the vicious cybernetic collective that had been threatening the humans Federation for close to two decades. Martin was trying to ascertain why the Cylons, or this hybrid in particular, would know anything about the Borg when the Three had entered the chamber.

"Hello, Martin," she said, smiling at him from across the Hybrid's pool. He looked at her and returned her greeting.

"Hello, Three. What brings you to this neck of the basestar?" he asked jovially, motioning for her to join him at his side. She walked towards him, her footsteps echoing around the room. Stepping to his side, she smoothed her long white skirt and knelt down.

"Well, I suppose I was curious. I mean, you've been with us for a few days now and most of that time has been spent with this living riddle. Have you been able to glean anything from it's ramblings?" she half-chuckled. Martin's laughed softly, "actually, not a whole lot. Since I came down here, she just seems to be repeating the same grouping of sentences over and over, something about 'the ones more machine than flesh' and 'the awakening of the five'. I can decipher some of it, but these five...what are they? Do you know anything about them?" The Three's demeanor faltered at the mention of the five, and Martin could tell that he had hit a nerve.

"We don't talk about them," was all that she said. Madden decided to let the matter pass for now, but vowed to himself that he would eventually have an answer to that question. "Tell me," she said, attempting to change the subject, "what was it like, living among humans, especially this particular lot. I've read the reports, that they're more evolved than the Colonials, both technologically and socially, but I want to hear what you have to say." Martin decided to answer her question with another.

"Where are we, to you, right now?" Three was momentarily puzzled, but comprehension dawned and she said, "do you mean what am I projecting right now?" At Martin's nod of his head, she continued, "it's funny you should ask. As much distaste as I have for the colonies, I'm actually on the Observation level of the Caprica News building. It sounds stupid, I know, but the view out those windows is breathtaking to say the least. Why, where are you?" Martin smiled. "I'm on the _Enterprise_. Say what you will about becoming too attached to the mission, but there's something...comfortable about that ship. I almost feel more at home there than I ever have on any base ship. That generally sums up my experience over there. I just want to be back there, interacting with the crew, compiling the daily duty rosters, conferring with department heads, just being part of such a well-oiled machine."

"But you can have all of that here," remarked Three, standing and motioning around the room, "what makes this..._Enterprise _so different from a basestar?" Martin was about to respond when the room shook violently. An alarm sounded throughout the ship, causing the crimson illumination along the walls of the chamber to pulsate in time with the droning wail. Three glanced nervously at Martin before hurriedly exiting the room. Martin shot out of his sitting position and dashed after her, leaving the _Enterprise _behind in favor of the more easily navigable basestar corridors.

Keeping up with Three's brisk pace, the two eventually arrived in the basestars' massive situation chamber. With Three's arrival, representatives of seven Cylon models were now present, well, eight including Martin, though to his knowledge there were no other copies of his model. He stepped purposefully up to stand between a Six and an Eight at a large station through which flowed a bioelectric fluid that the Cylons used as a sort of command and control interface.

"What's going on?" he asked no one in particular. The One looked at him with contempt. The Ones had been against the creation of another Cylon for the purpose of intelligence gathering of the Federation humans, citing that they were too far away to be of any significance to Cylon operations. They had been voted down by every other model.

"None of your concern, Madden." Martin could tell by the tone and ire in this one's voice that this One was definitely Cavil. Six glared across the table at the grizzled old man. "Oh for God's sake, Cavil," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. To Martin, she said "three ships appeared on our DRADIS, configuration unknown. Whatever they are, they tore through our outer defenses and are now commencing an all-out assault on our home-world." Six returned her attention to the information flowing through the pool as the ship rocked with another blast of weapons fire. Madden decided to see their attackers for himself, and stepped forward to thrust his hands into the pool.

The sensation was almost overwhelming. It had been years since he had shared in this intimate process with his brothers and sisters, and even with the impending doom surrounding them, he felt at peace. Then he heard the voices.

"_Vessel 011976 on intercept with Species_ _9025. Assimilation protocols active._

_"Destruction of all Species 9025 defenses is authorized. Additional directive is to assimilate planet."_

_"Target lead ship with all cutting beams. Fire!"_

That last voice. Martin blanched visibly, causing the Eight in attendance to take notice.

"Martin? What's wrong?" Martin started trembling. He removed his hands from the liquid and staggered back a few paces. All of the Cylons present turned to look at him, questioning expressions dotting their faces.

"Jump the ship," he said. When no one responded, he growled, "jump the god damn ship, now!" The exertion caused him to collapse to the deck. The Cylons went about the task of implementing the directive. Two centurions lumbered over to him, servos clanging as they went. They pulled him to his feet, and once they were assured that he wouldn't fall again, they returned to their original positions. Three stepped up to stand beside him.

"What did you see?" she asked, visibly concerned. He looked at her for a brief moment. It was her voice that he had heard.

"Two of the attackers are baseships," he managed to blurt out, causing most of those in attendance to gasp softly. "The other is-" Martin was cut off when another blast rocked the ship sending most of the room's occupants sprawling to the ground. Martin thought that this was it, that everything was coming to an end. That was when he felt the familiar sensation of a vessel lurching to light speeds beneath his collapsed frame.

***

"One of the vessels managed to escape, my Queen."

The voice of her trusted advisor echoed throughout the Borg Queen's chamber. The Queen smirked, a human expression that she regretted instantly. This was why they were here. To rid themselves of the shackles of individuality, and here she stood, freely acknowledging what she once was. Dismissing such thoughts, she turned to her advisor.

"Not unanticipated, three of twelve. Once we are done here, and our drones have begun rebuilding the infrastructure of this world, we will seek them out...and destroy them." Pleased with her response, the advisor turned and left the Queen's chambers. The Queen returned to what she had been doing earlier.

On the massive screen before her, the Queen watched the chaos unfolding around her. Oddly shaped vessels exploding in great plumes of fire, quickly extinguished by the vacuum of space. Fighter craft strafing and yawing, desperately attempting to hold off the inevitable. This was what she had been missing. The feeling of watching a civilization be reborn around her. Yes, she would take this species. Make them whole. Make them part of her collective. Make the Borg strong again. These Cylons would be her shock troops, tearing the galaxy asunder, paving a path towards her ultimate goal.

She turned her attention to another screen, this one displaying a large planet of blue and green, metallic satellites jockeying for position in its orbit. The planet that had given birth to the one who had nearly destroyed of the Borg Collective.

_Earth..._

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A thank you to those of you who have read and commented on this story. I've been trying to stay on a release schedule, but life keeps getting in the way. I encourage anyone who has read this story to please review. I will appreciate any comments or criticisms you may have. Look for the next chapter to be released sometime in the next couple of weeks.


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